Tony Carey not happy that I blogged about his ancient issues with Rainbow

By Steve Newton Whoa! I woke up to an angry Facebook message from rocker Tony Carey this morning. Turns out the singer, songwriter, and keyboard great was none too impressed with the blog I posted yesterday, which included audio from 1984 of him denouncing his previous band, Rainbow, and in particular guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. “Why … Continue reading Tony Carey not happy that I blogged about his ancient issues with Rainbow

AC/DC f***ed up: they shoulda hired Jimmy Barnes instead of Axl Rose

By Steve Newton By now the rock world is fully abuzz with the official announcement from AC/DC that Axl Rose from Guns N’ Roses will be the new singer for the rest of its Rock or Bust World Tour. They could’ve done better, if you ask me. I don’t think Axl Rose’s voice is close … Continue reading AC/DC f***ed up: they shoulda hired Jimmy Barnes instead of Axl Rose

Rob Halford says that Priest, Maiden, AC/DC, KISS, Metallica, and Slayer have all stood the test of time

By Steve Newton Back in 2015 I interviewed Rob Halford in advance of Judas Priest‘s doubleheader at the Hard Rock Casino Vancouver. When I asked him if there were any newer metal bands that had blown him away lately the 64-year-old “metal god” went off on a bit of a tangent. “They’re all over the place, … Continue reading Rob Halford says that Priest, Maiden, AC/DC, KISS, Metallica, and Slayer have all stood the test of time

Dan Hawkins ponders the brilliance of Iron Maiden and whether the Darkness is the last of its kind

By Steve Newton A couple of the famous rockers I’ve interviewed lately have been raving about the new Iron Maiden album, The Book of Souls. Judas Priest singer Rob Halford, for example, called it “a fantastic achievement” a couple of weeks ago. And the Darkness guitarist Dan Hawkins is mightily impressed as well–especially for a … Continue reading Dan Hawkins ponders the brilliance of Iron Maiden and whether the Darkness is the last of its kind

Black Sabbath gets all Paranoid at final Vancouver gig

By Steve Newton Every Black Sabbath freak has his fave Sabbath album. I for one have long trumpeted the supreme awesomeness of 1975’s Sabbath, Bloody Sabbath. Others point to the band’s spooky self-titled debut of 1970 as its pinnacle achievement. But most of the Sabbath fans I’ve encountered tend to regard Paranoid–also released in 1970–as the heavy-metal … Continue reading Black Sabbath gets all Paranoid at final Vancouver gig

Metal gods Judas Priest to play first Vancouver shows with Rob Halford outside of a hockey rink

By Steve Newton I’ve been going to see Judas Priest play concerts at Vancouver hockey rinks since the 1982 Screaming for Vengeance tour hit the Pacific Coliseum, and, quite frankly, I’m sick of it. The acoustics are never any good, and you can never get close enough to see the sweat dripping off Glenn Tipton’s fretboard unless you … Continue reading Metal gods Judas Priest to play first Vancouver shows with Rob Halford outside of a hockey rink

Bruce Dickinson in ’83: “It would be unthinkable to make an Iron Maiden album without Martin Birch”

By Steve Newton Back in June of 1983 I did a phone interview with Bruce Dickinson in advance of Iron Maiden’s show in Vancouver on the Piece of Mind tour. During the course of our conversation Dickinson claimed that it would be “unthinkable” for Iron Maiden to make an album without producer Martin Birch, who … Continue reading Bruce Dickinson in ’83: “It would be unthinkable to make an Iron Maiden album without Martin Birch”

Rob Halford loves what Iron Maiden does with three guitars, but he’s “content” with what Priest does with two

By Steve Newton I interviewed Rob Halford a couple of weeks ago in advance of Judas Priest’s upcoming shows at Hard Rock Casino Vancouver, and we had a pretty nice chat. We go way back, to that time he called me up to promote the Defenders of the Faith tour in ’84. At one point we … Continue reading Rob Halford loves what Iron Maiden does with three guitars, but he’s “content” with what Priest does with two

Humble guitar master Allan Holdsworth always struggles to pay the rent

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 4, 1986 By Steve Newton Today he’s regarded by critics and musicians alike as one of the most distinctive guitarists in the world. He’s been the principal soloist for the likes of U.K., Gong, Bill Bruford, Soft Machine, Tony Williams’ Lifetime and Jean-Luc Ponty. And he’s one of the few players … Continue reading Humble guitar master Allan Holdsworth always struggles to pay the rent

Stevie Ray Vaughan six weeks before the crash: “I would hate to get caught playing my last gig not trying”

During the interview I asked Stevie Ray if he ever had difficulty getting inspired for a show, and his response was somewhat prophetic.

Albert Lee on going country in England and finding his “natural” gig with the Everly Brothers

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 11, 1986 By Steve Newton In the world of music, jolly old England is famous for a number of things. The Beatles for instance. And rock guitar heroes like Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, and Jeff Beck. But country music is not one of Brittania’s specialties, and it never has been. Luckily … Continue reading Albert Lee on going country in England and finding his “natural” gig with the Everly Brothers

Joe Satriani likes Uli Jon Roth’s “beautiful sounding” Sky guitar, but figures 24 frets are enough for him

By Steve Newton Back in 2016 I went and saw Uli Jon Roth’s Ultimate Guitar Experience in Vancouver, and man–the things the German guitar wizard and ex-Scorp can do on his 32-fret Sky guitar are something to behold. So a few weeks later when I interviewed Joe Satriani for the sixth or seventh time I asked him what … Continue reading Joe Satriani likes Uli Jon Roth’s “beautiful sounding” Sky guitar, but figures 24 frets are enough for him

John Cougar Mellencamp may be little but he’s no bastard on the Scarecrow Tour in Vancouver

He calls himself Little Bastard on his album productions credits, and after meeting John Cougar Mellencamp I half understood why.